Persona 3 Plus
by Temari-Desert-Storm
Summary: Minato and Minako Arisato transfer to Gekkoukan High School, located in their hometown. There, they are drawn into the world of the Dark Hour, with Personas, the massive dungeon Tartarus, and the lives of SEES members, leading to the secret of their past
1. The Strange Case of the Arisato Twins

**_Time never waits._**

**_It delivers all equally to the same end._**

**_You, who wish to safeguard the future,_**

**_However limited it may be…_**

**_You will be given one year;_**

**_go forth without falter,_**

**_with your heart as your guide…_**

* * *

Minato jerked awake and felt the stiff bones in his neck crack out of their slumber. Music was blaring in his head and he briefly wondered where it was coming from before he remembered that his headphones were still on. Sitting up in his uncomfortable train seat, he checked the time on his MP3 player before he shut it off. 11:45 PM. As soon as the music stopped and his headphones were off, the sounds of the train assaulted his ears: the buzzing of the lights, the grinding of the train as it turned a corner, and the jingling of the handles as the train rocked.

"Finally! It's our stop next! If you had been alone, you would have missed it!"

Looking up, he shrugged his headphones back on. "If I was alone, I'd pay attention," he answered, looking over his shoulder at the night outside the window.

Beside him, fixing her hairclips, Minako mulled it over. "What do you think the dorm will be like? We've never been in one before. I hope we meet some nice people."

Minato grunted, turning his music back on as the train pulled into the station. Picking up his bag, he stood up and walked out, Minako following close behind him. Almost as soon as they stepped off the train, the lights suddenly turned a sickly shade of green. Minato normally wouldn't have noticed something like that, but his MP3 player shut off at the same time. He took a quick look at it, thinking he had accidentally hit something, but none of the buttons responded.

"Something about this feels wrong," Minako muttered, looking around. "This isn't a good place to be, Minato."

He nodded. "Let's get to the dorm, then."

They walked through the streets, following the map they had been given. Minako led the way, as Minato was useless when it came to maps, but it gave him a chance to look around. The streets were lined with coffins, each one reflecting the gooey red surface beneath them.

"Think it's blood?" he asked.

Minako shook her head quickly. "I'm not looking. I'm not looking!~"

After about an hour of walking and a few wrong turns, they finally arrived at the dorm. The front door was unlocked and, much to their surprise, the lights were on. Sharing a shrug, they entered together.

"You're late," a voice said, and they looked to find a young boy in strange clothes standing behind the counter. "I've been waiting a long time for you." He snapped his fingers, and a folder appeared in his hand. He placed it on the counter. "Now, if you want to proceed, please sign your name there. It's a contract," he explained, flipping it open, "Don't worry; all it says is that you'll accept full responsibility for your actions. You know, the usual stuff…"

There were two lines on the contract, and Minato picked up the pen off the counter and signed it. He handed the pen to Minako, and she signed it as well. "_I, Arisato Minato & Arisato Minako, agree to accept the consequences of my actions henceforth, and deal with them appropriately with a decent level of maturity and ability._"

When they finished, the boy closed the folder and held it to his head. "No one can escape time. It delivers us all to the same end. You can't plug your ears and cover your eyes…" He turned the folder sideways, and it vanished. The lights in the room started shutting off, one by one, until he was covered in shadows. "And so… it begins…" Suddenly, he was gone.

"That… was strange…" Minako muttered, looking around nervously.

"Who's there!" another voice, female and frantic, interrupted. Looking into another part of the entrance, they saw a girl in a pink sweater. She reached down to her thigh, keeping her eyes on them, and Minato noticed she had a gun. Minako realized it as well, clinging to his arm. Breathing heavily, the girl grabbed for the gun and was beginning to draw it when another person interrupted.

"Takeba, wait!"

Everyone spun in the direction of the voice, 'Takeba' practically jumping out of her skin. As Minato squinted to get a better look at their new company, the lights turned back on and music started blaring in his ears again. Internally startled, he switched it off and slid his headphones onto the collar of his uniform jacket. Their company was an older girl with long curly reddish-brown hair, and she had a gun as well, strapped to the belt of her skirt.

"I didn't think you'd arrive so late," she said, walking over, her boots clicking on the floor. "My name is Mitsuru Kirijo. I'm one of the students who live in this dorm."

'Takeba' still looked suspicious. "Who are they?"

"They're transfer students. It was a last minute decision to assign them here. They'll eventually be moved into the other dorms."

"Is it okay for them to be here?"

"I guess we'll see..." Mitsuru smiled. "This is Yukari Takeba. She'll be a junior this spring, just like the two of you."

Yukari seemed to be warming up. "Hey."

"It's nice to meet you, Takeba-san. I'm Minako Arisato, and this is my brother, Minato," Minako introduced, getting over her initial hesitation.

Yukari and Mitsuru gave them a strange look, glancing them over. Minato was used to it. Despite the fact that they were twins, there was almost nothing about them that was alike. Minako had red hair and red eyes, and her personality was cheerful and outgoing. On the other hand, Minato had blue hair and blue eyes, and was often lethargic and introverted. The only thing they shared in common was their love of music, though Minako had ordered a pair of custom red headphones, in contrast to Minato's default silver ones.

After a minute, Mitsuru recomposed herself. "It's getting late, so you should all get some rest. Your rooms are on the upper floors at the end of the hallways. Your things should already be there."

Yukari spoke up. "I'll show you the way. Follow me."

Together, the three of them bid Mitsuru good night and headed upstairs. They stopped on the second floor and Yukari led them to the end of the hall.

At the last door, Yukari turned to Minato. "This is it. Pretty easy to remember, huh? …Since it's right at the end of the hall. Oh yeah, make sure you don't lose your key, or you'll never hear the end of it…So, any questions?"

Minato mulled it over in his head. Did he have questions? Yes. The coffins, the blood, the creepy power outage no one seemed to have paid any attention to, the boy with the contract… "No."

"Me neither," Minako added, though he could tell from the tone of her voice that she wanted to ask the same thing.

Yukari nodded, but paused, looking uncomfortable. "Um… Can I ask you something? On your way here from the station, was everything okay?"

Again, the questions came to mind, but he shook his head.

She looked relieved. "Well, I better get going. I'm sure you have other questions, but let's save them for later, okay? Come on, Arisato-san," she turned to Minako, "I'll show you to your room."

The two girls headed off together, Minako giving him a broad smile and a wave over her shoulder, and Minato was left alone. Looking at the key for a long moment, he unlocked the door and headed inside. The inside of the room was plain, with a desk, bed, television, and some shelves for things. His suitcase was sitting on the floor next to the bed. Sitting at the desk, he unpacked his laptop and was finished setting it up when there was a knock on the door. He didn't even bother opening the door; he already knew who it was.

Minako, in her pajamas, sat down on his bed. "So, what do you think? Isn't it great to be home?"

He shrugged. "I guess."

"It's never any fun talking to you. You're a two-dimensional brick wall."

"That's what you always say."

"Because it's true…"

He glanced at her. "And never once have I complained."

"Well, I guess we're going to meet lots of new people tomorrow, right? Make all kinds of new friends…" She gave him a smile. "Try to make friends, okay, Minato?"

"I will."

* * *

The next morning, Yukari knocked on Minato's door, having received no answer from Minako and assuming she was already downstairs or in the bathroom. There was no answer, so she knocked again. "It's Yukari. Are you awake?" After another few minutes without response, she went inside. "Good morning. Did you sleep okay?"

At the sound of the door opening, Minato sat up in bed, knowing his hair would be a messy mop in front of his face. Beside him, her hair falling around her shoulders and in a tangled knot, Minako yawned and sat up, stretching her arms. Yukari let out a loud gasp and dashed out of the room. With a roll of his eyes, Minato got up and proceeded to change, Minako leaving to return to her room.

When he was dressed, he met Yukari outside. She looked pale, breathing in heavy gasps. "It's not what you think."

She turned on him. "What do you mean, 'it's not what I think'? What else could it be?"

"I don't sleep well by myself," Minako explained, repining her hair, "I've been like that for ten years. I've always shared a bed with Minato. It's the only way I get sleep at all."

Yukari didn't look completely convinced, but she took their word for it. "Mitsuru-senpai asked me to take you two to school. It's getting late, so… Are you ready to go?"

Minato shrugged. Minako nodded.

"Okay. Then, let's go."

* * *

As the train rounded a turn, one Minato vaguely recognized from the previous night, Yukari pointed it out. "See, there it is." The train continued its turn, past the expanse of ocean, and headed towards the island. When it stopped and most of the people on the train got off, Minako bounded away from Yukari and instantly took a running head start. Minato hung back. Yukari laughed. "Energetic, isn't she?"

They followed the crowd of students, Minato keeping his eyes on his sister until they caught up with her, standing in front of the building.

"Well, this is it," Yukari gestured, "We're here! Welcome to Gekkoukan High School. Hope you like it!"

When they got inside the school, Yukari turned to them. "You're okay from here, right? You should go see your homeroom teacher first." She turned around and pointed to a hallway. "The Faculty Office is right there to the left. And that concludes the tour. Any questions?"

"No."

She nodded, and then shifted to a more hesitant expression. "Hey… About last night… Don't tell anyone what you saw, okay? See you later." That said, she walked off, leaving them alone.

"Ready? The classroom assignments are probably over there," Minako said, pointing out a crowd of people standing at a bulletin board. "Let's go check."

Grabbing Minato by the wrist, she dragged him off towards it. When they got there, she scanned the lists for their names, but found nothing. "We're not here?"

"Found it," Minato muttered, tapping her shoulder. He pointed at a less-formal looking sheet of paper tacked to one side. 'Minaso and Misato Arisoto - Class F'.

Minako pouted. "They could have at least spelled our names right. Well, come on. We should head to the Faculty Office now."

The Faculty Office was exactly where Yukari had mentioned, on the left side of the hall. Together, they went in. A few of the teachers looked up, but only one paid much attention, a young woman in a pink suit.

"Oh, are you the new students?" she asked. When they nodded, she looked at her notes, "Minato Arisato and Minako Arisato… 11th grade, correct? Wow, you've lived in a lot of different places."

That much was true. Since they had last been here, their hometown, Minato couldn't count the number of times they had moved. They had been shuffled around from relatives to relatives for a while, changing schools more often than Minako changed her hairstyle, before they had finally settled in Tokyo. After living with their relatives there for a time, they had finally decided to return home to continue school.

The teacher continued. "Let's see… In 1999… That was what, ten years ago? Your parents were-" She gasped, her eyes widening as she stared at the page. "I'm sorry… I've been so busy; I didn't have time to read this beforehand."

Beside him, Minako shuffled her feet. Minato shoved his hands in his pockets. Yes, their parents had died, and that was the reason for their constant moves. It bothered him, though, that Minako took it so much to heart every time someone mentioned it. He'd gotten over the pain of it years ago, when he realized that he had to carry the responsibilities for the two of them.

"I'm Ms. Toriumi," she introduced herself, "I teach Composition. Welcome to our school."

Minato gave her a normal response of "Thank you", while Minako opted for a more enthusiastic "Nice to meet you!"

Ms. Toriumi chuckled. "Have you seen the classroom assignments? You're in 2-F: that's my class. But first, we need to go to the auditorium. The Welcoming Ceremony will be starting soon. Follow me."

* * *

The assembly was, as Minato had expected, a snooze fest. The moment the principal started talking, he closed his eyes and started to drift off. Suddenly, someone sitting behind him tapped him on the shoulder.

"Hey…You came to school with Yukari this morning, right? I saw you two walking together. I have a question. Do you know if she has a boyfriend?"

Minato gave him the dignity of the only reply the situation deserved: he raised an eyebrow and returned to his nap.

* * *

After a long day of introductions by various teachers, the school day finally ended. Minato felt stiff, having been leaning against his desk the entire day. He stood up, wincing as his shoulders protested, and looked around. Minako, in her desk by the window, was packing up her notebooks, which he assumed she had been doodling in. He decided to wait for her by the door, but was stopped by another student, a guy in a hat.

"'Sup dude! How's it goin'?"

Minato blinked. "Who are you?"

"Me? I'm Junpei Iori. Nice to meet ya," he said, "I transferred here when I was in 8th grade. I know how tough it is bein' the new kid…So I wanted to say, 'hey'. See what a nice guy I am?"

Minato blinked again. If he was looking for popularity points, then he was doing it in the wrong place. He introduction made him sound like a jerk. While Junpei was laughing, Minako and Yukari walked over.

"Made a friend?" Minako asked.

Minato shrugged.

Junpei was too distracted to notice. "Hey, it's Yuka-tan! I didn't think we'd be in the same class again."

"At it again, huh?" Yukari sighed, "I swear, you'll talk to anyone if they'll listen. Did you ever think that you might be bothering someone?"

"What? But, I was just bein' friendly."

Yukari rolled her eyes. "If you say so…" she turned her conversation to include everyone, "Looks like all of us are in the same homeroom…"

Junpei was surprised. "All of…" he turned and, for the first time, seemed to notice Minako. "Oh, hey there!"

"Hello. Nice to meet you," Minako replied with a bright smile.

Junpei blushed, chuckling sheepishly, and then seemed to remember something. He turned back to Yukari. "By the way, I heard you two came to school together this morning. What's up with that? C'mon, gimme the dirt!"

"Wh-what are you talking about!" Yukari mumbled, "We live in the same dorm. There's nothing going on, okay? Besides, Minako was with us too."

"That's not what I heard…" Junpei said in a suspicious voice.

"Why are people even talking about it! Now you have me worried…" Brushing Junpei off, Yukari walked closer to Minato and Minako. "Hey… You didn't say anything to anyone about… you know what, did you?"

Minato shook his head. Minako looked confused. "What?"

"Seriously… Don't say anything about last night, alright?"

Minato felt like slapping his hand against his forehead. Minako giggled. Junpei instantly caught on. "L-last night…?"

Yukari realized her mistake. "W-wait a minute! Don't get the wrong idea!" Junpei's expression made him look like he was scheming something. "Listen! We just met yesterday, and there's absolutely nothing between us! Geez… I`ve gotta go. I`ve got something to take care of for the archery team. But, you better not start any rumors!" She turned and stormed off.

Junpei shrugged. "Ah, who cares? No one takes rumors seriously, anyway. She's so paranoid… But, hey! It's your first day here, and already people are talkin' about you! Believe it or not, she's actually pretty popular. You da man!"

Minako laughed. "My brother; ever the popular one."

Junpei joined her. "This is gonna be a fun year. I can feel it! Come on, you two, let's go!"

The three of them spent the rest of the afternoon together, until finally they parted ways and headed back to the dorm.

"Today was interesting," Minako said cheerfully, "We found our class, made some friends… I think we're going to enjoy it here!"

Minato shrugged. "When we get back, I'm going to bed."

"Alright. It's been a long day, so I think we deserve it."

* * *

_Before anyone asks, this is supposed to be a combination of the two gender-related storylines from Persona 3 Portable. Though I don't actually have the game yet, I have played FES, though not much. Really, I love Persona 3, but it's really hard to play._

_A couple things I have to point out. First, yes they share a bed. No, they don't do anything inappropriate. This is to create loopholes for certain events. Second, this chapter, and the first half of the next, will be utterly boring. Nothing interesting happens in the first few hours of Persona 3, so this isn't much different. Third, please don't give me comments of "oh that's not how it works" or "you shouldn't be doing things like this". People, it's fanfiction. I can do as I please. Not to be sure, but I love SMT, and the last thing I wrote got one comment which was basically bitching about all the things I did wrong. Be nice, okay? I'm trying. And, again, it's fanfiction. If you don't like it, no one's forcing you to read it._

_Enjoy the next chapter, when I feel like posting it._


	2. The Power of Persona

The next morning, Minato felt as tired as he'd felt the day before. He heard some girls talking about a rumor, but he ignored it, figuring it was something about him and Yukari. The morning passed uneventfully. In the afternoon, Ms. Toriumi was rambling about her teaching, caught Junpei asleep, and asked him about her favorite author. Junpei panicked and nudged Minato with his foot.

Minato, who had only been half paying attention, scrawled 'Utsubo Kubota' on a piece of paper and slid it to the edge of his desk. It was the right answer, and instantly people caught on that he'd told Junpei the answer, and people started paying more attention to him for the rest of the class.

After school, they walked home. At the dorm, Yukari was sitting in the lounge with a man in the suit. When they walked in, the man spoke up. "So, these are our new guests…Good evening."

Minako returned the greeting while Minato just watched, feeling something strange about the guy.

"My name is Shuji Ikutsuki. I'm the Chairman of the Board for your school." He laughed. "'Ikutsuki'… Hard to say, isn't it? That's why I don't like introducing myself. Even I get tongue-tied sometimes…" He gestured to the couches. "Please, have a seat." When they all sat down, he continued. "I apologize for the confusion surrounding your accommodations. However, it may take a while longer before you receive the proper room assignments. Is there anything you'd like to ask?"

"No, we're fine," Minato answered automatically, used to ignoring people's concern.

Ikutsuki didn't seem to notice. "Then, I hope you have a successful school year. Now, if you'll excuse me…" He stood up. "You must be tired from all the excitement. You should go to bed early. As they say 'the early bird catches the bookworm!'" He laughed, and Minako joined him. "Please forgive the pun."

When he left, Yukari sighed. "You'll get used to his lame jokes."

"I actually thought it was kind of funny," Minako giggled.

Minato stood up. "He read my mind. I'm going to sleep."

* * *

That night, in the command room, Mitsuru and Yukari were joined Ikutsuki. "Working hard? So, how are they doing?"

"They went to bed a while ago," Mitsuru explained, "They're asleep now. We had to adjust our surveillance after Yukari informed me of their… odd sleeping habits."

Ikutsuki looked at the screen and visibly paled. "Well, this is… an… interesting development…"

Mitsuru was staring at the screen. "Mr. Chairman, do you really think they're…?"

"Well, let's wait and see for now. The Dark Hour is approaching."

Within minutes, the lights shut off and a creepy green glow filtered in through the windows. The control panel and the monitors remained active. On the screen, both Minato and Minako were still fast asleep.

"Hmm... They're still sleeping. The Dark Hour occurs every day at 12 midnight; you could say it's the 'hidden' hour. During this time, an ordinary person Transmogrifies into a coffin, and is oblivious to all that occurs. As you can see, they've retained their human forms. They're both asleep, but definitely experiencing the Dark Hour. The only question that remains is whether or not they have the potential. Although, they must. ...If they didn't, they would've been preyed on by now. Still, we should continue to monitor them for a few days."

Yukari fidgeted. "Still… I feel bad, spying on them… especially like this."

* * *

When Minato opened his eyes, he figured he was dreaming. He was seated inside a giant elevator, and everything around him was a surreal shade of purple. Minako was sitting in a seat beside him, and across from them was a man with an incredibly long nose seated at a table. Standing on either side of him was a woman and a man who were dressed like hotel staff and shared the same pale hair and haunting yellow eyes.

The man with the long nose spoke. "Welcome to the Velvet Room. My name is Igor. I am delight to make both of your acquaintance. They are Elizabeth and Theodore," he indicated the others, "They are residents here, like myself."

They bowed simultaneously. "Pleased to meet you."

"This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter... It's been years since we've had a guest." With a wave of his hand, the folder the boy had asked them to sign appeared on the table. "Only those who have signed the contract can enter this place... Henceforth, you shall be welcome here in the Velvet Room. You are destined to hone your unique ability, and you will require my help to do so. I only ask one thing in return... that you abide by the contract, and assume responsibility for the choices that you make."

Minato nodded. "I understand."

"Me too, I guess," Minako added, and Minato knew he wasn't dreaming. His mind didn't have the ability to conjure up accurate renditions of Minako's speech patterns.

Igor smiled. "Here, hold on to this." A sparkle formed in front of him, and a key was suspended in the air above the table. Minato reached out and grabbed it. "'Til we meet again…"

* * *

The next morning, Minato's head felt weird. He got out of bed and was finished changing before Minako woke up.

"That was a strange dream… There was a guy with a long nose, and those people…"

"It wasn't a dream."

"Huh?"

He held up the key. "This was in my pocket."

"So then… it was real?"

"Between dream and reality, mind and matter…" he mused.

Minako hopped out of bed. "Well, no use worrying about it now. It's time for school, and I need to change."

* * *

The day turned out as strange as the night before, and Minato was getting the feeling that something wasn't right. Junpei seemed excited about something, but he wouldn't explain what, much to Minako's annoyance. Their teacher for Classic Literature, Mr. Ekoda, droned on and on about the importance of the subject, but Minato ignored him, instead reading the subject material for the day's class. Junpei fell asleep and missed everything.

After school, they walked home with Junpei. The moment they got back to the dorm, they did their homework, Minako bugging him for information on the Classic Lit. lecture she slept through, and then went to bed.

* * *

Minato was woken up in the middle of the night by something shaking. First impression made him think it was Minako playing a joke on him, but she was awake and as surprised as he was. Jumping out of bed, he grabbed his uniform jacket. "I'm going."

"Not without me!" she said, pulling on one of his sweaters. "I'm coming too!"

There was knock on the door, loud and frantic, before Yukari shouted "I'm coming in!" and raced into the room. "I don't have time to explain. We have to get out of here, now!" The building shook again. "Hurry! Downstairs! We'll leave through the back door! Here!" she handed Minato a short sword, "Sorry, but I've only got one. Let's go!"

They raced down the stairs to the main floor, through the kitchen to the back door. There, Yukari stopped. "Alright, we should be safe now-" There was a crackling noise, and Minato noticed that she was wearing a headset. "Y-yes! I hear you!" There was another pause, and Yukari gasped. "What!" There was a loud banging on the back door. Yukari turned back to them, looking frantic. "L-let's pull back!"

Minato, still calm, took the initiative, running up the stairs. Minako followed him, Yukari bringing up the rear, mumbling something under her breath. When they hit the top floor and a dead end, there was a shattering sound and Yukari stopped.

"What was that?"

"Bad news?" Minako guessed.

"Yukari?" Minato spoke up, indicating the door, "Roof?"

She nodded. "O-oh yeah! If we go through here…" She led them through the door and locked it behind her. "I think we're okay for now…"

* * *

Minako looked around, getting a better view of the area, when she saw the giant hand come reaching over the side of the building. "Don't speak too soon…"

The others turned around and saw it as another three hands reach up and grabbed the ledge, pulling the rest of its mass with it. When it pulled itself onto the roof, its arms totaled somewhere in the twenties, and one was holding a large blue mask. The hand turned the mask until it spotted them, and some of the other hands pull giant knives out of nowhere.

"Those monsters… We call them Shadows!" Yukari pulled out her gun and held it to her head.

Minako panicked. "Yukari, wait!"

Suddenly, the Shadow lunged at them, slashing at them with a dagger. It hit Yukari, knocking her to one side, and the gun clattered to the ground. Minako rushed to Yukari's side, but stopped when she heard the sound of the gun. When she looked back, Minato was holding the gun to his head.

Minako panicked. It was the only thing she could think of. Yes, they were faced with a giant, deadly looking monster, but Minato had never done anything so drastic before. She couldn't even open her mouth.

"Per…so…na." From her position, she couldn't see his face, but she could hear the smile in his voice. He pulled the trigger and, instead of a bullet, the gun blasted a bright blue light through the other side of his head. The blue light filtered all over him, crystallized, and then shattered, swirling around him.

A voice echoed from everywhere. "_Thou art I… and I am thou…_" As it spoke, the crystal light converged and solidified behind him. "_From the sea of thy soul I cometh._" Behind him formed a man with a dark face and silver hair, a metallic body, and a long red scarf. On his back was a giant lyre. "_I am Orpheus, master of strings…_"

Suddenly, Minato gripped his head and doubled over. A bright light emanated from Orpheus' mouth, and he convulsed, twitching in a pained way. Minato screamed out in pain, and Orpheus was ripped apart from the inside, a black creature with a chain of coffins hanging from its arms and a metallic white head. It summoned a sword and dove at the Shadow. The gun dropped to the ground.

Seeing no other choice, Minako dove for the gun and rolled back into a crouch, aiming it at her head. Like with Minato, she fired it, and something inside her shifted and altered, being pulled to the surface. It made her feel like she was finally waking up. The crystals coalesced into another being who, like Orpheus, had a metallic body and an organic head, but looked like a woman, a golden body and long golden hair. Wielding a heart-shaped lyre, she charged.

The black creature was already tearing the giant Shadow apart, ripping it limb from limb with it bare hands, slicing off anything that stood in its way. When the female Orpheus flew at it, it knocked her away, sending her slamming into the wall.

The impact resounded in Minako's mind, sending her reeling. Her whole world was collapsing in on itself, dragging her down into a spiraling world of pain and confusion. That was all she remembered before she blacked out.

* * *

Minato snapped out of his painful daze when he heard a loud crash behind him, followed by Minako scream. He looked up in time to see the black creature disappear in static, replaced by Orpheus, who vanished. Minako, standing near him, dropped the gun to the ground and collapsed beside him.

"Minako!"

Yukari ran over. "Is she alright!"

Much to his relief, she was fine, but unconscious.

"It is over…?" Yukari asked, looking around. There was a growling noise, and two smaller Shadows appeared.

Minato gritted his teeth. "Not yet." Picking up the short sword from where he dropped it and holding it in his left hand, as well as the gun in his right, he ran at them. Using the gun, he summoned Orpheus, who bashed away the first one with his lyre. As soon as it vanished, he dropped the gun, switched the sword to his right, and slashed at the second. It vanished as well, leaving them alone again.

Despite not having done much, Minato felt drained. It was an effort to keep his eyes open. His knees gave out, he hit the ground, and his consciousness slipped away.


	3. The Legion of Fools

When he opened his eyes again, he was sitting beside Minako in the Velvet Room, across from Igor, Elizabeth, and Theodore.

"It's so nice to see you again," Igor said in his usual, oddly-pitched voice, "You became unconscious after awakening to your 'power'. ...It's nothing to worry about, though. So, just relax. By the way... I see that it was Orpheus that heeded your calling. That power is called a Persona... It is a manifestation of your psyche."

Minako was staring at him, leaning forward and squinting. "You lost me."

Igor's smile didn't waver. "It may take some time to fully comprehend. A Persona is a facet of your personality that surfaces as you react to external stimuli... You can think of it as a mask that protects you as you brave many hardships. That being said, your power is still weak..."

"Weak? How?" Minato asked, thinking back on what happened to that giant Shadow.

"When you use your Persona ability, you must channel your inner strength. The ability evolves as you develop your Social Links - your emotional ties with others. The stronger your Social Links, the more powerful your Persona ability. Please remember that." He paused. "Now, then... Time marches on in your world. I shouldn't keep you here any longer. Next time we meet, you will come here of your own accord. Until then... Farewell."

The Velvet Room faded out, and Minato drifted back into unconsciousness.

* * *

When his consciousness returned, Minato knew something was off. A funny anti-septic smell was working its way into his nose. His nose started to tingle until he sneezed, startling whoever else was in the room, and he sat up, one hand to his forehead. Looking around, he saw Minako in a bed beside him, and Yukari sitting in a chair between the beds.

"You're awake! Finally!" Minako complained, rolling her eyes. "You looked like you wanted to sleep for the rest of the month."

"Where are we?"

Yukari answered. "This is Tatsumi Memorial Hospital. It's just a short walk from the station. You two were out for a whole week! I was getting worried. You just kept sleeping and sleeping… Especially you," she looked meaningfully at Minato, "How much sleep do you need? Um… Both of you, I'm sorry I couldn't do anything. I was supposed to protect you, but… Your powers were amazing…"

"Persona… and the Shadows…" He mumbled.

"Yeah, exactly. How did you…?" Yukari began, but he cut her off.

"I was paying attention."

"Ah. Well… We'll explain everything in more detail later. I'm sorry I didn't tell you before... I, uh... I wanted to tell you that... I'm sorta like you."

"What do you mean?" Minako asked. Guessing where the conversation was headed, Minato adjusted his pillow and leaned back.

"My dad died in an accident when I was little... And my mom and I aren't exactly on good terms... You're all alone too, right? To be honest, I already know about your past... But, it didn't seem fair, so I wanted you to know about mine..." Yukari folded her hands in her lap and stared down at them. "It was back in '99... There was a big explosion in the area. Supposedly, my dad died in the blast, but nobody really knows what happened... He was working in a lab run by the Kirijo Group. So, I'm hoping that if I stick around long enough, I'll find out something." She gave them a weak smile. "That's why I'm going to Gekkoukan High, and why I was there when this happened to you. ...Of course, I panicked and wasn't much help... It was my first time fighting them, too. I'm sorry... You wouldn't have to go through all this if I wasn't such a coward..."

"It's not your fault," Minato said, and she looked up at him.

"He's right," Minako added, wiping partly-formed tears from her eyes, "It was your first time too, so you can't take things like that too hard. Just keep trying."

"Thanks... but still..." She let out a sigh, and a weak laugh, "And here I am telling you all this the minute you wake up. While I was waiting, I thought to myself, 'I've been hiding so many things from them... As soon as they wake up, I'll tell them the truth'. So, thanks for listening. I've been wanting to share that story with someone for a long time." She stood up. "...Alright, I'm gonna get going. I'll let the others know you woke up. Take it easy, okay? Get all the rest you need. …Bye."

When she left, Minato cross his arms behind his head and smiled.

"What's that for?" Minako asked, crossing her legs on the bed.

"I think… Yukari has an odd image of appropriate hospital conversations."

She laughed. "You had to bring that up, didn't you?"

* * *

The next morning, Yukari and Junpei caught up with them on the way into school.

"How are you two feeling?" Yukari asked.

"Fine!" Minako chirped enthusiastically. Minato just grumbled.

"Someone looks like they could use some more sleep," Junpei laughed. "Where were you guys anyway? Upset stomach or something?"

Minako laughed. "Kinda like that. Why? Were you worried?"

"Well, there's been a lot of talk about it. I mean, hey, the two transfer students both suddenly absent for a week? You're the most talked about people in the school right now!"

Yukari groaned. "Junpei, you had to bring that up? They just got back! You don't have to burden them with something like that so suddenly!"

"Geez, tone down the hostility, Yuka-tan. I was only asking." Junpei headed off to class first.

Yukari hung back, speaking in a low voice. "Sorry, but Ikutsuki-san wants to talk to you two later. Come to the 4th floor of the dorm after school today, okay?"

Wondering what it was about, they agreed and headed to class.

* * *

Minato, barely paying attention in class again, was forced to answer another question for Junpei, but other than that, the day ran smoothly. As soon as it ended, they headed back to the dorm and up to the fourth floor. There was a large room there, a bank of consoles and monitors on one side, and a table surrounded by couches and cushioned chairs. Ikutsuki, Mitsuru, and Yukari were already there, along with a white-haired senior who was leaning uncomfortably to one side. They sat down.

"Ah, there you are," Ikutsuki said, "I'm glad that you're okay. The reason I asked you here is because I needed to talk to you. Oh, before that. I believe I mentioned him earlier, but this is Akihiko."

Minato opened his mouth to point out that Ikutsuki hadn't mentioned it before, but Minako nudged him slightly and he didn't bother. Instead, he leaned back in his chair, minutely snuggling into the material. It was soft enough to drag him into drowsiness, being much more comfortable than the hospital beds that had been sleeping in.

The senior, Akihiko, acknowledged them with a nod of his head. "How ya doin'?" Minato took note of how careful he was being not to jostle his side. Whatever had happened to him had to have been recent enough to still hurt. Minako smiled sweetly in return.

Ikutsuki cleared his throat. "Okay, let me start off by asking you this... Would you believe me if I said that a day consists of more than 24 hours?"

"Under normal circumstances, no," Minato replied. "But what happened to us wouldn't classify as normal."

"True. You must have also noticed the signs the night you came here-"

"Coffins in the street and puddles of blood everywhere? Hard to miss."

Minako squeaked beside him. "You said you wouldn't bring it up again! Moving on!"

Mitsuru smiled. "Agreed. But didn't it feel like you were in a different time...? That's the Dark Hour - a time period hidden between one day and the next."

"Sounds like a book I read," Minato muttered. "Times stops for everyone else, but not us. We're the only ones aware of it and the only ones who can interact with it."

"Exactly. The Dark Hour occurs each night at midnight. I'll happen tonight, and every night to come," Ikutsuki explained.

"Normal people don't realize it, since they're all sleeping inside their coffins," Akihiko explained calmly, before a confident, excited smile appeared on his face. "But, that's not what makes the Dark Hour so interesting. ...You saw those creatures. We call them 'Shadows'. They only appear during the Dark Hour, and attack anyone not in a coffin. It's our job to defeat them. ...Sounds exciting, huh?"

Mitsuru turned a glare on him. "Akihiko! Why are you always like that? You just got hurt the other day!"

"Now, now." Ikutsuki held his hands up between them. "He does his work well. Long story short... We're the Specicalized Extracurricular Execution Squad - SEES for short. On paper, we're classified as a school club. But in reality, this group is dedicated to defeating the Shadows. Mitsuru is the leader. I'm the club advisor."

Minako hesitantly raised her hand. "Excuse me, but… I know one attacked us that night, but are the Shadows really that dangerous? Are there that many people outside their coffins that the Shadow attacks cause problems?"

"A Shadow feeds on the mind of it's prey;" Akihiko answered, leaning back gently in his chair. "the victim becomes a living corpse. They're responsible for most of the incidents on the news, if not all of them."

Minato blinked. "What the media is dubbing 'Apathy Syndrome'… And people who have Persona's are the only ones who can fight Shadows?"

"You're very quick to understand," Ikutsuki nodded confirmation. "Both of you understand?"

Minako chuckled sheepishly. "Mostly. I'll pick up anything I don't get when I go over it later."

"Good to hear." Mitsuru stood up, picking up a silver briefcase from under the arm of the couch. She placed it on the table and opened it up, revealing two gleaming guns, the same ones that they had used to summon their Personas, and two red armbands, SEES printed on them in large black letters. "What he's trying to say is, we want you to join us. We've prepared Evokers for you. We'd like you to lend us your strength."

Minako leaned closer to her brother and whispered. "What do you think we should do?"

"All that we can. I'm starting to see where all this is going." He raised his voice back to a normal tone. "We're in."

Yukari let out a relieved sigh. "I was afraid you'd say no... Welcome aboard!"

"Thank you so much. I'm really glad." Ikutsuki smiled contently. "Oh, I almost forgot... About your room assignments... Why don't you just stay here, in your current rooms? I don't know what the holdup is, but I guess it worked out in the end." He laughed like he had made a hilarious joke, but no one laughed.

"Holdup? But, wasn't that-" Yukari mumbled under her breath, letting out a sigh. "Oh, never mind..."

Minako chuckled. Suddenly, something smashed in Minato's head, starting him and causing his sister to gasp loudly. Everything seemed to move in slow motion. In his mind's eye, a sparkling card with a mask on it appeared, turning over to show the silhouette of a man standing at the top of a cliff. A large 0 was printed at the bottom of the card and an upside down XXII was scrawled at the top, bright red and looking for all the world like it had been added afterwards. A familiar voice rung out in his head. "_Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to create a Persona of the Fool Arcana..._" As suddenly as it had happened, the card dissolved and time resumed its normal pace. Everyone in the room was staring at them, varying degrees of concern and confusion on their faces.

Minako took another gasp of air and turned to him. Thinking quickly, Minato clamped his hand over her mouth and stood up, pulling her with him. He grabbed the Evokers and armbands with his free hand. "Well, thank you for the explanation. We're still very tired from our hospital stay, so if you'll excuse us…" Giving them a polite smile, he steered his sister from the room and didn't let go of her until they were back in his room. By the time, the phony smile had melted off his face and been replaced with a look of deep concentration.

Able to speak again, Minako paced to the other side of the room and spun back to face him. "Did you see that! That card and the voice and the-"

"Yes, I saw it."

"What was that about?"

He sat down on the bed. "Persona power is inner strength. It develops through forming ties with others. Social Links power Personas."

"That's what Igor told us, right? Our Persona power is weak and Social Links are the way to strengthen it." She sat down beside him.

"Remember what the voice said? 'Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to create a Persona of the Fool Arcana'. We've formed a Social Link. Our relationship with the others will help make our Personas stronger."

"But… that means… we have more than one Persona? We both have Orpheus, but that voice made it sound like we'll have more than that."

"And that we'll have to make them ourselves."

"The question is… how do we make them? And with what?"

He tapped his chin in thought. "Igor fully expects us to go back to the Velvet Room. He must have a role in all this, which explains why he gave us the key."

"But we don't have the door, remember? We've always gone in through our dreams."

"I think we'll have to find the door ourselves… or maybe it'll find us."

"You make less and less sense…" Minako stood up again. "I still have a few questions. Why do we both have Orpheus as a Persona? Why does mine look different than yours? What was that thing that came out of your Orpheus? Why did I pass out when it attacked my Orpheus? There's just too much we don't know."

"I don't know why we both have Orpheus, but I think the difference is purely gender-related. Your Orpheus is a girl because you're a girl. Whatever it was that emerged that night… I don't know what that was either. As to why you passed out, I can wager a pretty good guess. Personas are our inner selves, right? When it attacked your Orpheus, it was directly attacking your inner self. In a sense, it was attacking your mind and being."

"So… what would have happened if… if my Orpheus was destroyed?"

"Let's not think about that unpleasant scenario."

Minako shuddered. "Alright… But! If that was the case, why didn't anything happen to you when that thing tore apart your Orpheus?"

"Because I think… I think… This may not make much sense, but I think that thing _was_ Orpheus. It emerged from him, like it was in there the whole time. Maybe… maybe it was another Persona? I don't know. All I can say is that it changed back into Orpheus when it stopped rampaging, so Orpheus was never destroyed."

"But why did it emerge from Orpheus like that?"

"I don't know." Standing up, Minato walked over to his desk, where he'd thrown his bag on their way up to the 4th floor. He pulled a blank notebook out and scribbled something on the first page.

Minako looked over his shoulder as he wrote. "'4/20 - Fool 1'. Fool one?"

"It's a connection we just formed. Don't you think it'll get stronger as more time passes and we spend more time together as a group? I don't know how high the number will go, but we need to keep track of these things." He flipped to another page. "I'm going to write down what we know and keep track of my theories. You should get ready for bed."

"Fine, fine," she yawned, clapping him on the shoulder as she walked out. "Don't stay up too late."

"Mm." Letting out a long sigh, he leaned against his desk and scrawled one word in large letters on another page, circling a few times with his pen. "'Arcana'… what does that mean?"

* * *

Minato woke to a shift of the mattress. Normally, it wouldn't have bothered him; Minako rolled around a lot in her sleep. This shift, however, came from the opposite side of the bed. Sitting up, he rubbed his eyes and looked around. The world of night was green, the color filtering in from the windows. It was the Dark Hour. Unable to find anything out of place, he was about to lie down when he heard the voice.

"Hi, how are you?"

Looking down, he saw the boy from the night they had arrived staring up at him, clear blue eyes locked on his face.

"You're… You were there when I summoned my Persona…"

The little boy smiled and nodded. "You did very well. Soon, the end will come. I remembered, so I thought I should tell you."

"The end? Of what?"

"To be honest, I don't know," the boy said, looking sadly at his feet. Beside Minato, Minako mumbled something and rolled over. "But with your new power, I hope you two will honor our agreement."

"With our power?"

"Mhm. I'll see you later." With one last smile, the boy disappeared. Rubbing his forehead in confusion, Minato buried his face in his pillow and went back to sleep.

* * *

The next day, after a long class, Minato rested his head on his desk, eyes drooping. He had stayed up later than he had planned writing notes on everything they had learned and that, coupled with the little boy's visit during the Dark Hour, hadn't left him much time for sleep. It felt like the teachers had droned on for hours before the bell released them.

Yukari, sitting in the seat in front of him, turned halfway in her chair and let out a loud yawn. "I thought I was gonna fall asleep in there..."

Minako plopped down into the seat next to him, which had been vacated less than a second before. "Why didn't you? I know I did."

"And that's why your grades rely on me teaching you everything," he mumbled through his arm, chin pressed against the desktop.

The classroom door slid smoothly open and Mitsuru walked in, her heels clicking cleanly with each step, the sound echoing in the silence that had entered the room with her. She stopped beside Minato's desk. "Can I have a minute? Come to the lounge when you get back to the dorm. I have something to tell everyone. I'll save the details for later. See you there." Without waiting for any kind of acknowledgement of her message, she turned around and walked out, the silence leaving with her as the entire class burst into gossip.

Minako blinked dumbly. "That was… fast…"

"She's probably busy with Student Council," Yukari explained, hints of distaste in her voice.

"Whoa, Yuka-tan!" Junpei took Mitsuru's spot, leaning against Minato's desk for a second before Minato punched him, disliking the other teen's butt in his face. "Do I sense some hostility?"

Yukari blushed and instantly went on the defensive. "Well, it's not that I don't like her... She's just... N-Never mind. Let's go." She stood up, almost knocking her chair over, and stormed from the room. Minako followed her.

Minato grabbed his bag. "I'll take that as a yes," he muttered, giving Junpei a shrug before following after them.

* * *

When they got back to the dorm, they headed up to the 4th floor. Ikutsuki, Mitsuru, and Akihiko were already there in their usual seats. Yukari took her seat next to Mitsuru with almost visible reluctance, but the senior girl didn't seem to take notice.

Ikutsuki greeted them with his usual calm smile. "And now we're all here."

"Good. There's someone I want to introduce." Akihiko stood up and walked into the hallway, disappearing from sight for a moment. "Hey, hurry up." He walked back in.

"Hold your horses," a familiar voice replied before Junpei walked into sight. "Wazzup?"

Minako looked over her shoulder and gave him a wave. Minato acknowledged him with a head nod. Yukari jumped to her feet. "J-Junpei! ...Why are YOU here!"

"This is Junpei Iori from Class 2-F. He'll be staying here as of today," Akihiko explained.

"He's staying HERE!" Yukari rounded on the senior. "You've gotta be kidding me!"

Akihiko shook his head. "I bumped into him the other night. He has the potential, but he just awakened to it recently... I told him about us, and he agreed to help."

Yukari turned back to Junpei, even more disbelief on her face. "You have the potential! For real!"

Junpei let off another confident smile. "He found me cryin' like a baby at the convenienve store, surrounded by a bunch of coffins. I don't remember much, but... man, that's embarrassing! He said that's, ya know, completely normal... in the beginning." He sat down between Minato and Akihiko. "Like, bein' confused and not remembering anything. Did ya guys know that?"

"For argument's sake, we'll go with that," Minato answered, turning back to Ikutsuki. "You look like you have more to add."

The Chairman nodded. "Yes. I'd like your undivided attention. For a long time, Mitsuru and Akihiko were the only Persona-users we had. But that number recently jumped to six. Therefore... Starting tonight at 12:00AM, I'd like to commence the exploration of Tartarus."

"Tartarus...? What's that?" Junpei chuckled. "...Sounds like toothpaste."

Minako giggled. "I thought that too."

"You haven't seen it?" Yukari asked, sounding a little more relaxed.

"It's no surprise... since it only appears during the Dark Hour." Ikutsuki explained.

"Just like the Shadows... Interesting, huh? And it's the perfect place for us to train. You can think of it as a Shadow nest." Akihiko added eagerly.

Minako shuddered. "Sounds creepy…"

"But, Sempai... what about your injury?" Yukari asked.

"Oh, don't worry," Mitsuru answered with a sly smile. "Since Akihiko hasn't fully recovered yet, he'll only come as far as the entrance."

Akihiko openly scowled. "Yeah, I know," he grumbled, directing the full force of his glare on Mitsuru.

"I'll be staying here," Ikutsuki mentioned, "As you know, I can't use a Persona. Make sure you're all ready before you head out."


	4. The Tower of Demise

An hour or so before midnight, everyone other than Mitsuru gathered outside the dorm and they headed out. Akihiko had a large duffle bag slung over his shoulder and refused to reveal its contents. Since it was late at night, they avoided the monorail, taking the long way across the bridge. Junpei, Yukari, and Akihiko walked along calmly, but Minako clung to her brother's arm. Minato eyed the bridge carefully, looking at it as though looking for something on it, though he found nothing and couldn't figure out the reason for his suspicion. As the time got closer to midnight, they arrived outside the gates for the school, where Mitsuru was patiently leaning up against a motorcycle with some technical equipment strapped to the back.

Junpei was surprised when they stopped. "This is it? THIS is the place? Why HERE?"

"Just watch," Akihiko smirked, putting the bag on the ground and pulling out his phone. "It's almost midnight."

The remaining seconds ticked by so slowly and silently that Minato heard his heartbeat slow down. At the stroke of midnight, the sky was instantly dyed green. A loud groaning sound emanated from the building before it as flexed and grew, extending upwards into the air. Layer after layer grew out of the base, slicing through other layers to reach higher and higher until it finally groaned to a stop. Finished its transformation, Tartarus loomed high, it's peak obscuring part of the moon, it's large clock face warped and moving, counting only a minute or so after midnight.

Everyone stared at it speechlessly for a moment before Minato broke the silence. "You named _this_ after the Greek mythological Underworld?"

Junpei looked at him. "Huh?"

"The Underworld in Greek mythology is called Tartarus. In a sense, this place is Hell…"

"Pleasant thought," Yukari grumbled.

Junpei was horrified. "What are you talking about! What happened to our school!"

"Once the Dark Hour passes, everything returns to normal," Mitsuru replied matter-of-factly.

"This is the 'nest' you were talking about! But, why! ...Why'd our school turn into a giant tower!"

At this question, Mitsuru looked uncomfortable and turned to stare at Tartarus.

Junpei stared. "You don't know, either?"

"…No."

"I'm sure it's complicated," Yukari added, though she also looked uncomfortable at the prospect.

Akihiko picked up the duffle bag again with a grunt. "Well, maybe now we'll find out. Mitsuru and I have only gone in to take a peek; this will be our first time exploring it. Exciting, isn't it? There has to be some sort of clue in here about the Dark Hour..."

"Akihiko. I respect your enthusiasm, but you won't be accompanying us today," Mitsuru reminded him sternly, having recovered from her tension.

He didn't take the reminder very well, scowling at her again. "I know... You don't have to remind me."

* * *

The inside of Tartarus was brightly lit, a large room containing a set of massive stairs leading up to a clock face, both supported by nothing. A grandfather clock stood next to the staircase on one side and a strange contraption sat on the other side, a glowing green panel on the floor with a curved orange bar behind it. The walls of the room didn't appear to be walls at all, moving pieces of hallways and staircases floating through empty space in the distance.

Junpei, as expected, was the first to comment. "Whoa... It's just as cool on the inside..."

"But, it sure is creepy..." Yukari added, hugging her arms and shuddering.

Mitsuru walked to the base of the stairs. "This is only the entrance. The labyrinth lies beyond the doorway at the top of the stairs."

"One way in, one way out," Minato commented darkly, "Wouldn't be Hell if isn't wasn't a deathtrap."

Minako slapped his arm lightly. "Stop being so morbid."

"First, we'll have you three get a feel for this place. Why don't you go have a look around?" Akihiko suggested.

Yukari visibly paled. "What! By ourselves!"

"We're not asking you to go very far," Mitsuru reassured, "and I'll be feeding you information from here."

Akihiko dropped the duffle bag in front of them. "We're also going to appoint a leader to make any necessary decisions."

Junpei perked up at this. "For real? ...One of us? Oh! Oh!" He began jumping up and down, doing a little dance that made Minako giggle. "Me me me! Pick me!"

"Um…" Akihiko watched for an awkward moment before turning to Minato. "You're in charge."

Everyone, Minato included, was surprised. "Why me?"

"Yeah!" Junpei piped up. "Why him! He doesn't look like a leader!"

"Well, he HAS fought them before..." Yukari added quietly.

"Seriously?"

"That's true, but there's another reason. You two..." Addressing Yukari and Junpei, Akihiko pulled out his Evoker and held it to his forehead, making them jump. "Can you summon your Persona without any difficulties, like he can?"

Junpei's confidence stumbled. "Y-Yeah, of course I can!"

Yukari looked just as uncertain. "I think so."

Akihiko sighed impatiently. "These are Shadows we're talking about here. Without your Persona, you're screwed."

"I'm aware of that," Yukari grumbled.

"Um, excuse me, but…" Minako spoke up. "What about me? I summoned my Persona too, right? Not that I'm arguing your decision or anything…" she added timidly.

Mitsuru crossed her arms. "We're not denying that you have the ability, Arisato, but after what happened last time, we want to make sure there was no lasting damage. It's dangerous to push yourself when there's potential for further injury," she looked meaningfully at Akihiko, who ignored her, "So for now, take things easy. We won't deny you from going into the tower, but don't take any unnecessary risks. You'll be acting second-in-command for the team."

Minako brightened at this. "Thank you, Senpai. I'll do my best."

"Now that that's been taken care of, let's head inside. Are you ready?" Akihiko asked.

Minato opened his mouth to reply, but Minako grabbed his sleeve and yanked on it rather forcefully. "One minute." He let her lead him off into a corner of the room, aware that everyone else was waiting for them. "What is it?"

"This," she said, titling her head to indicate the corner. He looked and saw a glowing bluish door, one he hadn't noticed when they entered. "It's been here the entire time. I think it's the door Igor was talking about."

"Then there's only way to check," Minato replied, pulling the key out of his pocket. As he expected, the key fit perfectly into the door and the lock clicked open. The door swung open without any trouble and they walked in, momentarily blinded by the blue light. When it subsided, Minato saw standing behind the chairs, Igor staring at him across the table. Minako sat down as Elizabeth and Theodore bowed a greeting.

"I've been waiting for you," Igor spoke calmly, as though they had only left for a few minutes, "The time has come for you to wield your power. The tower that you are about to venture into... How did it come to be? For what purpose does it exist? Regrettably, you are not yet capable of answering these questions. That is why you must be made aware of the nature of your power."

Minato remained where he was. "The nature… of our power?"

"Your power is unique. It's like the number zero... It's empty, but at the same time holds infinite possibilities. You are able to possess multiple Personas and summon them as needed. This power is vital to you both, as your power belongs to the both of you and ties you together quite deeply. And when you have defeated your enemies, you will see the faces of possibility before you. There may be times when they are difficult to grasp... But, do not fear. Seize what you have earned. Your power will grow accordingly... Be sure to keep that in mind. My spare time will soon be scarce. But, please come again of your own accord. I'll tell you then about my true role... the manner in which I can best assist you. Until then… Farewell."

"Wait a-" Minato began, stepping forward, but the light returned. When it faded, they were standing in front of the door.

Minako blinked in surprise. "That was weird."

Footsteps caught his attention and Minato turned around. Yukari walked over, Junpei close behind her. "Hey, are you alright?"

"Yeah, what's up? You two looked like zombies," Junpei added with a laugh.

"Just be careful then, Junpei," Minako smirked, leaning close to him, "I might just have a hankering for brains."

"I think his brains may give you indigestion," Yukari joked, and the three of them laughed. Minato said nothing.

Junpei turned to him. "Come on, that was pretty funny! At least laugh a little."

"Junpei, that's…" Minako muttered.

"I should explain myself, then," Minato said.

Minako jumped over to him, grabbing his hands. "You don't have to. You've never told anyone before. What changed your mind?"

"You're the one who told me to make friends," he smiled before walking back over to Mitsuru and Akihiko. The others followed him. "Before we go into the tower and I become acting leader, I think I should tell you all something important about me."

Mitsuru turned away from the equipment on her motorcycle. "Something important?"

"Yes. I've never told anyone about this, but I feel that this might cause some problems if I don't get it out. I don't have emotions."

Everyone stared at him. "What do you mean? You're like a robot or something?" Junpei asked.

"Not quite. I wouldn't feel pain that way, but I do. What I mean is that I can't feel anger, sadness, or joy. I can't panic and I'm never afraid. I've been like this for ten years."

"Since your parents died?" Yukari asked.

He nodded. "Not even the best doctors could figure it out. Most wrote it off as emotional or physical trauma, but there's nothing physically wrong with me and my parents' death never impacted me that much. So, …just getting that out into the open. We're ready to go."

"It's best that you told us that, Arisato. We'll keep that in mind," Mitsuru said, "Just proceed up the stairs when you're ready."

"One last thing." Akihiko opened the duffle bag at his feet. "You'll be needing these."

Junpei walked over and pulled a long, two-handed sword from the bag. "You brought a bag full of weapons? Sweet!"

Yukari took a bow and quiver of arrows from the bag. Minako hovered over the bag for a long minute before she pulled out a naginata and carried it over her shoulder, smiling happily. When Minato's turn came, he grabbed the sword Yukari had given him, having felt comfortable with the weapon when he'd used it last. Finally prepared, they climbed the stairs and entered the tower.

* * *

The first thing Minato noticed about Tartarus was that the inside was very green. The hallway they were in looked suspiciously like the school hallways, though the black and white tiled floors were greener and half-coated in blood. There seemed no order to the arrangement of the halls. The four huddled close together.

"So, this is it, huh...?" Junpei mumbled, looking around cautiously.

Yukari shivered. "I hope I don't get lost..."

Suddenly, Mitsuru's voice echoed out of nowhere, making them jump. "[Can you all hear me?]"

"Whoa! Is that you, Senpai?" Junpei asked, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment when he realized he was just shouting into the air.

"[I'll be providing audio backup from here on out,]" came the reply.

"Wait... Ya mean, you can see inside here?"

Mitsuru's reply sounded a bit on the smug side. "[It's my Persona's ability. I'd like to join you, but the structure of Tartarus changes from day to day. That's why outside support is imperative.]"

"Well, THAT makes me feel a whole lot better..." Yukari grumbled quietly.

"[Now, based on your current location, you can expect to encounter enemies at any minute. They shouldn't be too tough, but proceed with caution. Practice makes perfect.]"

Minato switched his sword to his left and rested his right on his Evoker. "Right."

"Why is she always like that...?" Yukari mumbled to herself.

"[Let's begin. Keep in mind, these are real battles you'll be engaging in. Now, see if you can eliminate all the Shadows wandering around on this floor. I detect a Shadow in front of you.]"

"How close is it?" Minato asked.

"[Close. Down the next hallway. You'll be able to see it if you look around the corner.]"

"Hmm…" Walking over to the wall, he pressed himself against the support beam and looked around the corner. As Mitsuru said, a Shadow was there, a black mass of sludge with red eyes roving slowly around the floor. "I see it, but it looks… strange."

"Strange?" Yukari asked, "How so?"

"Remember those Shadows I fought that night. They had blue masks. This one looks similar to those ones, but it doesn't have a mask."

"[You haven't encountered the enemy. Once the enemy is encountered, it will take shape and its mask will appear. Once it's mask is shown, I can analyze it.]"

Minato looked at the ceiling. "Analyze it?"

"[With my power, I can analyze an enemy to determine its weaknesses and strengths. Every enemy has elemental strengths and weaknesses that you can exploit.]"

"Elemental? There are elements?"

"[Nearly every type of attack is associated with a particular property. For example, swords can be used to do 'Slash' attacks, while bows are used to do 'Pierce' attacks. Skills, on the other hand, have different properties. 'Bufu', for instance, indicates an 'Ice' attack. Now, most enemies are vulnerable to certain types of attacks. In other words, they have weaknesses. A Fire skill will deal greater damage to an enemy that's weak against Fire. The elements are Bufu - Ice; Agi - Fire; Zio - Electricity; Garu - Wind; Hama - Light; and Mudo - Darkness. Hama and Mudo skills are moves that will instantly knock you out if they hit, but the chances that they'll connect are much lower than other Skills. There are multiple levels to each Skill, and the level determines how powerful the Skill is and how many opponents it targets.]"

"So, the basic strategy is to charge in blindly until you can analyze the enemy and tell us it's weakness?"

"[Charging in blindly is the last thing you should do. Be careful.]"

"She didn't specifically deny it," Minato mumbled quietly before turning back to the group. "Here's the plan-"

"You have a plan already?" Junpei gawked.

Minato ignored him. "Junpei and I will take the front. Our weapons are good for close combat and, I'm guessing, Junpei's Persona is physically-oriented. We'll be taking the brunt of the damage and be dealing most of it in return. Minako, you'll be behind us. Orpheus knows physical moves, and your naginata will be good for attacking from a distance if Junpei and I need backup quickly. Make sure not to fall too far behind us."

She nodded. "I've got your backs, boys. Count on it."

"What about me?" Yukari asked.

"Yukari, you watch our backs. Your weapon is long-range, so keeping a distance will allow you to attack without taking damage. I also need you to keep an eye out for enemies coming from the other direction. We have no idea how these hallways are arranged, so there may be enemies just waiting to ambush us. Stay as far back as you need, but don't lose us or get out of range. Are we ready?"

"Wait." Yukari stepped forward. "Just how are we doing this?"

"We're running as quickly and quietly as we can down the hall and killing that thing, hopefully before it notices us."

"That's not very much of a plan."

He smiled. "I'm open to suggestions if you have them."

Yukari bit her lip in thought for a moment, eyes darting around the hallway. "Let's get started, then."

Readying his sword, Minato inched his way around the corner, Junpei close to his side. Raising his hand, he waved them forward into a quick jog, stepping as lightly as he could. He pulled out his Evoker, Junpei copying his moves, and as the Shadow sensed them and revealed its mask, the same blue ones with the I on them, they summoned their Personas.

"Orpheus!"

"Hermes!"

Orpheus appeared in a blue light, accompanied by Hermes, a humanoid figure in blue-plate armor with a winged helm and winged boots. They attacked together; Orpheus swinging his lyre down as Hermes slid into the Shadow and sliced it with its wings. The Shadow dispersed, leaving the hall empty.

"[Excellent teamwork. There's another Shadow down the hall. I'll have more time to analyze that one.]"

Minato looked to the ceiling again. "Any other useful information?"

"[You're very close to the stairs. They should be just up ahead. A staircase is the only way to proceed to the next floor. I can't allow you to go any higher today, but please remember about it next time.]"

"Got it." The next Shadow was one of the same, another blue mask, which was taken out with as much ease as the first. When the second hallway was cleared, however, Minato pulled up short. Time seemed to freeze as it had done with the Social Link, but this time a series of cards appeared before him. He reached out for one and grabbed it, the card solidifying in his hands. Time resumed, leaving him standing there to stare at it.

Minako looked at it over his shoulder. "It's a fairy."

"It's a Pixie," he corrected, looking at the back of the card, "of the Lovers Arcana, at level two and knows a Skill called Dia."

"Where'd you get it?"

He looked over his shoulder at Yukari and Junpei, who were talking about something. "I'll tell you when we get back to the dorm."

"[I've finished my analysis of the enemy. These Shadows are Cowardly Mayas and are of the Magician Arcana.]"

Minako turned back to her brother. "What does that mean?"

"I haven't a clue…"

"Hey, Minato," Yukari said, walking over, "I think we need to switch Junpei out. He's getting tired."

"Am not!" Junpei shouted from behind her, despite the fact that he was breathing hard.

Minato shook his head. "She's right. Switch with Minako for a while."

Junpei scowled. "Fine…"

They continued down the hallway, running into the next enemy around the corner. Minako stuck to his side, looking determined. They charged forward, ready to summon their Personas, but Minako pulled up short as Minato summoned his Orpheus and took out one of the Mayas. Another of the Mayas slid rapidly across the floor towards her. Panicking, she shielded herself with her naginata and was knocked to the ground as the Maya slashed at her. Junpei destroyed the Shadow as Yukari shot the last one with her bow.

Minato ran to his sister's side. "You alright?"

"I… I don't…" she muttered, looking down at her legs. Two deep thin cuts ran down each of her legs, red brimming and pooling up in beads along their length.

"I'll handle this," Yukari announced, holding her Evoker to her head. Taking a deep breath, she pulled the trigger. "Io!" Her Persona appeared in a burst of blue, a pink-clad woman chained to a metallic cow head, and waved its arm. A light appeared over Minako's legs and the cuts healed, the light fading softly away.

"[That was a healing Skill called Dia. Healing skills and healing items are very important when combating Shadows. If you or another party member is in bad shape, then use healing items prior to engaging the enemy. If you don't have anything on hand, then ask Takeba to heal you. You should make a habit of checking your status before entering into a battle.]"

"Right." Minato helped Minako to her feet and turned to Yukari. "Thank you. You did a very good job."

Yukari blushed. "Don't mention it, really. I didn't do much."

He shrugged. "Let's keep going."

"[Actually, you've cleared out all the enemies. ...That's odd. Usually, there are more Shadows on the prowl. ...Well, at least you gained some experience in battle. Let's go back to the dorm for today. There should be an Access Point somewhere on that floor. You can use it to return to the entrance. Since there aren't any enemies to worry about, why don't you split up and search individually? Just tell the other party members what you'd like them to do.]"

"Understood." He turned back to the others. "Time to head back, then. We'll split up and look for that Access Point."

Announcing their approval, Yukari and Junpei ambled off to search. Minako stayed behind, staring disheartened at her feet. "I'm sorry. I was such a liability. I just caused everyone so much trouble…"

"Mind explaining to me what happened?"

"I went to summon Orpheus, but I couldn't feel it. It was like my Persona had just… vanished. I couldn't think or move. It scared me." She grabbed his free hand, holding it tightly. "I don't think I'm cut out for this…"

He squeezed her hand a bit. "Don't think too much about it. I think I might have an idea of what happened, but for now, let's stick with this. If after a few tries we find it's not working out for you, you don't have to come back here. Sound good?"

"Okay…"

"[Takeba has found the Access Point. Are you ready to return?]"

Minato looked over at his sister again. "Yeah, we're ready."

* * *

The instant blinding light subsided as suddenly and unexpectedly as it appeared, depositing in front of the green device on the main floor. Mitsuru and Akihiko were waiting for them, Mitsuru working with her equipment while Akihiko sat on the stairs, trying to quell his boredom.

Mitsuru turned around at their appearance. "Welcome back. So, how was it?"

"Piece of cake," Minato replied, stuffing his free hand into his pocket.

Junpei hefted his sword high. "Wow... I never knew I had that kinda power! But damn, I'm beat..."

"That's cuz you were bouncin' around like a little kid," Yukari sighed.

"You look pretty tired yourself, Yuka-tan."

"I'm still trying to catch my breath, actually..."

"That's the effect of the Dark Hour; you'll become fatigued more easily," Mitsuru explained. "Don't worry, though, you'll adapt. But, I'm surprised... You all did much better than I expected. At this rate, they'll catch up to you in no time, Akihiko," she added, giving her companion a meaningful look.

A fire of competition burned in Akihiko's eyes. "Heh, we'll see about that."

As Mitsuru shook her head at his comment, Minato watched time slow down and the Fool Card appeared again in his mind. Again, the voice echoed, "_Thou art I... And I am thou... Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to make a Persona of the Fool Arcana..._" before time resumed its pace. He glanced over at Minako to find her staring at him He mouthed 'we'll talk in the morning', holding back his yawn until he finished. With the battling for the night done, the group headed back to the dorms, everyone eager to get to bed.

* * *

_Two chapters after a long break? I'm happy to get back into this story. So please, people, reviews. I love reviews with my heart and soul. Reviews power up my Social Links and- maybe that's taking it too far. Anyway, if you have any questions or comments, review and let me know._

_Also, this chapter title? I know it's from the game. It just sounds so awesome that I had to use it._


	5. The Importance of Preparation

The next morning, the entire school was called into the auditorium. The Student Council for the year would be giving their opening remarks for the year. Amongst the entire student body, nobody doubted the identity of the president, so no one was surprised when Mitsuru was called up on stage to give her speech.

"Well... I guess she IS the most popular girl in school," Yukari commented quietly.

Junpei 'hmm'ed his agreement. "You can say that again! There's like some kinda aura around her... Besides, this school's owned by the Kirijo Group, right?"

Up on stage, Mitsuru began her speech. Minato, too tired from the night before to care, had already turned on his MP3 play and was dozing off by the time she started. He didn't become aware of his surroundings again until Junpei nudged him.

"Hey, did you understand what she was talking about?"

Minato looked up at the stage, where Mitsuru was stepping down from the podium. "Wasn't listening," he said, pulling one headphone off, blinking lazily.

Junpei stared at him in semi-admiration. "Dude... You're such a rebel..."

In response, Minato yawned and put his headphone back on.

The rest of the day passed without event. Minato fell asleep in class, only to wake up with the bell and learn from Yukari that he hadn't missed anything. He let out another yawn as she excused herself and headed off to practice. Minako and Junpei joined him at his desk.

"I'm still exhausted from last night," Minako groaned, sitting on the desk beside Minato's leaning back and staring up at the ceiling.

Junpei yawned as well. "You can say that again."

"I'm still exhausted from last night," Minato mumbled through his sleeves, face buried in his arms.

Together, they packed up and left the building. On their way out, they heard what sounded like giggling girls. A few of them shouted suddenly.

"Look, it's Akihiko-senpai!"

"Wait for us!"

Akihiko, who had just emerged from the school a moment before them, was instantly ambushed by a throng of girls. From the expression on his face, Minato could tell that he wasn't too happy with the attention.

Junpei sighed. "Man, would you look at that? I hear they're always swarming Akihiko-senpai like that. I know he's the captain of the boxing team, but... I mean, come on! You don't even see girls flock like that on TV! I wonder where they're going..."

At that moment, Akihiko seemed to realize that they were watching him. With a jerk of his head, he held up his free hand and beckoned them over with two fingers. Minato blinked once, indicating himself, unsure if the senior was calling to them. When he nodded, the girls all turned around, staring as they walked over. Minato noted that they looked at Minako with some resentment, but she didn't seem to notice.

"Hey, are you guys free this afternoon?" Akihiko asked, stepping away from the crowd of girls.

Junpei was still in shock. "Huh? Who, us! I... guess so...?"

"I want the three of you to meet me at Paulownia Mall. You know where it is, right? I'll be at the Police Station."

"Th-The police station? ...Uh, are your friends gonna come along, too?" Junpei asked, indicating the girls with his eyes.

He lowered his voice. "Who, these girls? I don't even know their names. They talk so much they give me a headache." He raised his voice back to normal. "Anyway, I'm gonna head out. ...Don't keep me waiting." Akihiko walked off, all the girls staring after him. A few of them scowled, but they all dissolved into chatter.

Junpei complained as they walked off the school grounds. "Man, how can he not know their names! I mean, seriously! Just look at them! Well, I guess we gotta go... Sheesh, talk about putting a damper on a guy's afternoon."

Minako gave him a sympathetic smile. "Don't worry, Junpei. Just be thankful you're not one of them," she sighed. "I'd hate to be grouped in with girls like that…"

* * *

Paulownia Mall was a large domed building with a wide-open area in the center, surrounded by stores and sporting three large, spectacular fountains. While the mall was only one floor, a Karaoke bar was at the top of a flight of stairs directly across from the entrance and a nightclub, Club Escapade, extended into the ground. A back alley next to the police station led to a utility room, Minato assumed, where the valves for the fountains have been placed.

The police station was small, but looked well manned. Akihiko stood at the counter, talking to a rather intimidating officer in uniform. When they walked in, Akihiko turned around. "These are the guys I was talking about earlier." The officer remained silent, looking them over critically as Akihiko continued introductions. "This is Officer Kurosawa. He helps keep our squad well equipped. And, this is from Ikutsuki-san..." He handed them all 5,000 yen. "You can't fight empty-handed, so find something you like. Officer Kurosawa has connections... But, these things still cost money."

"Of course they do," Kurosawa added, his voice as gruff and intimidating as his appearance. "Nothing in life is free."

"I realize that," Akihiko replied, as blunt as he could be without sounding rude. "Well, I'll see you later. Thanks again." He walked out, waving a farewell over his shoulder.

Kurosawa turned his attention back to them. "I've been informed about you three. My job is to maintain peace in this city, regardless of the circumstances. I'm just an ordinary police officer, but it doesn't take a genius to know something strange is going on here. I'm only doing what I think is right."

"We appreciate the assistance, Officer," Minako said, bowing her thanks.

Minato bowed his head. "We'll be sure to do what we can to help. Thank you."

The three left the station, Junpei looking annoyed. "Pshh, only 5,000 yen... I'm gonna take off, since I'm in a bad mood now... Later." He ambled off across the mall and left.

Minako sidled over to her brother, hands clasped behind her back. "What now? There doesn't seem like much else to do."

"I was planning on walking home. …Over the bridge."

"Y-you really want to go that way? Minato…"

He looked at her. "We'll be walking that bridge a lot. I want to walk it with you as many times as we need to until you get over this."

"I can't get over it. Our parents died there."

"And that's why I'm walking it with you: so you'll know that you never have to walk it alone. How long are we gonna let what happened rule our lives? We're a team. Not just you and I, since we're always been one, but everyone else now as well. We're not alone anymore."

Minako shuffled her feet, walking towards the fountain, swinging her bag by her side. "Fine. Let's get going, then!"

They walked out of the mall together and along the streets. All manner of people passed by them, from little kids to businessmen, each going about their daily lives. Some people were talking on their cell phones, all sorts of conversations being held. One of the people they passed was standing in an alleyway, looking at everyone with a blank look on their face. Everyone avoided the person, but only stared at them with sadness and disdain.

"One of those Apathy Syndrome people, huh? Poor thing," Minako said, watching the person as they passed. "Wish there was something we could do to help."

"I'm not sure if we can. Still, fighting Shadows and preventing them from attacking people will help prevent more people becoming like this."

"By the way, you didn't just want to walk home for the sake of walking the bridge. You wanted to talk to me, didn't you?"

He nodded. "We didn't get much of a chance to talk yesterday or this morning, and I know I'm going to crash when we get back to the dorm, so I want to use the time I'm awake to get things done."

"This is about last night?"

"Yeah. I think I may know what happened."

"With me not being able to summon my Persona?"

"I think maybe we can't summon the same Persona at the same time. I'll ask Igor about that next time we see him, which probably won't be until we go to Tartarus again."

Minako smiled. "I think you've got a few things you want to ask him."

"I suppose so. I want him to explain our powers, how we use this Persona card we picked up, and what role he's got in all of this. What's his motivation? What does he get out of helping us? And also the obvious questions about Tartarus. There's one other thing that's been bothering me."

"What's that?"

"Everyone keeps mentioning the word 'Arcana'. I've never heard the word before, but it seems very important. I'm going to go to the library after school tomorrow and do some research. Hopefully, I'll find something that will explain it."

"Do I have to come?" Minako asked, cringing.

"Nope. I know how much you hate libraries. You can do something else. Try to stay out of trouble, though. I don't want to turn around and found you've burned down half the school."

"That only happened once! And it wasn't half the school; it was only half of the science department."

"It doesn't change the fact that no school in the city would take us after that and we had to go live with relatives in another _county_."

"You're telling me you didn't like living in England?"

"I'm not saying I didn't like it. In fact, I think we'll never fail an English test for the rest of our lives. All I'm saying is that I don't want you doing anything reckless. We moved back here on our own. I don't want to be shipped back to Tokyo so soon after we've left. It would cause problems that no one needs."

Minako sighed. "Fine, fine. I'll be a good sister and follow your instructions."

By that time they had reached the dorm and the sun was quickly falling behind the buildings, casting everything into shadows. When they entered, Mitsuru looked up from her book.

"Welcome back. Perfect timing... I'd like to speak to you for a moment. Regarding our exploration of Tartarus... Akihiko is still on the mend, so for now, I'd like you two to lead the team. You never know when a powerful enemy might appear, like the one you faced the other day. It's best to be prepared, or else you may find yourself in a difficult situation. So, whenever you'd like to explore Tartarus, just let me know, and I'll gather everyone there. Also, since I'm sure there are other things you will need to take care of, you may go out at night if you need to. Well, that's it." She turned back to her book again. "Keep up the good work."

"And if 'good work' means going straight to bed," Minato added as they walked up the stairs, "then I have to agree with her."

* * *

At the end of class the next day, Minako dropped down into the seat next to her brother as he packed up his books, a determined look on his face. She recognized the look instantly and smiled. Minato had an intense love for books. He spent a lot of his time stockpiling information in his head, drawing connections and making observations about everything he learned. If there was something they needed to know, she knew he would find it.

Junpei walked over as Minato stood up. "Hey."

"Hey. Later," Minato muttered quickly, slinging his bag over his shoulder before walking quickly out of the room.

"What's up with him?" Junpei asked, watching Minato long after his unmistakable hair had disappeared from view.

"He wants to look up something in the library."

"I didn't know he was such a braniac…"

She chuckled. "Not always. Only when what he's learning appeals to his interests. Why? Did you want him for something?"

"Huh? Oh! I was just wondering if you two wanted to join me for some food…"

Minako instantly shot up, knocking the chair over. It clattered loudly against the floor, causing a few of the students in the class to turn in their direction. "You're going to eat…? Count me _in_!" She quickly grabbed her bag, picked up the chair she had knocked over, and skipped around Minato's half tucked in chair. "Where are we going?"

Junpei was stunned. "You're still up for it even if Minato doesn't come?"

"'Course. If there's two things you know as an Arisato, it's where to find good food and how much of it you can chow down on. …At least, that's what my Dad always said," she added sheepishly. "Besides, I could do with some food right about now."

"Alright then, off to the food we go! You don't mind if I pick the place, do you?" Junpei asked as they left the school.

"Not at all. I'll enjoy anything right about now."

They rode the monorail back to the strip mall outside Iwatodai Station. The strip mall consisted of a large collection of restaurants and a couple bookstores. Junpei headed up to the second level and entered a restaurant called Hagakure. The moment they walked in, the ramen smell assaulted Minako's senses and she started to drool, the moisture in the large dining area intensifying the smell. There were spaces open at the front counter, so they sat down and Junpei ordered two specials.

"Why the special?" Minako asked as they waited.

"The regular stuff is really good too, but the special? Pure. Awesome."

Finally, the bowls were set in front of them. Minako took a long whiff of the delectable smell before she dove in, shoveling the hot noodles into her mouth. As soon as the burning sensation died away, the full flavor of the noodles and broth set in and she sighed contently.

"Thish is dewlishish," she said, mouth full of noodles.

Junpei mumbled his agreement, his mouth similarly stuffed. They ate in silence until Minako finished her noodles, Junpei only halfway through his bowl. "How'd you finish so fast?"

"I have an iron stomach, Junpei. Believe me, Minato can finish a bowl this size even faster."

"Seriously! Geez… remind me never to enter an eating contest against you guys… Anyway, you feeling better now?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you just transfer here and you end up in the hospital, and then there's everything that's happened over the last few days… I just wanted to make sure your guys were settlin' in alright, ya know?"

Minako sipped some of the broth. "Thanks Junpei. It means a lot. It's been a long time since we were last here. A lot has changed and I guess it's been a little difficult to adjust. Minato, in particular, has been a little touchier than usual…"

"He's not usually this bad? I thought it was just me…"

"Why would you think that?"

Junpei swallowed some more noodles. "I guess I can't help comparing the two of you, since your siblings and all. You're so upbeat and cheerful, and he's… kinda cold in comparison."

Minako patted his shoulder lightly. "Don't think it's your fault. That's how we are. I'm the optimist and Minato is the tough one. I don't want to sounds like a mother or anything, but even if you prefer being friends with me, try to be friends with Minato too. He's a nice guy once you get around his prickly exterior."

"I know. Don't worry about it. If you guys need anyone to rely on, you can count on Junpei," he announced, jabbing his chest with his thumb.

Minako giggled and let out a gasp as a card appeared in her mind, a pair of hands holding a flame in front of a pair of eyes. A voice echoed, "_Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to create a Persona of the Magician Arcana..._" before everything returned to normal.

"You okay?" Junpei asked, eyeing her with concern.

She smiled. "Yeah. Just drinking too fast. It's still pretty hot."

"Well, be careful. Don't want you burning yourself."

"Right," she replied. It was another thing she'd have to mention to Minato when they got back to the dorm.

* * *

Meanwhile, Minato had settled himself in the library. The member of the library committee on duty, a girl two years his senior named Saori, had been very helpful in helping him find what he was looking for. They had compiled a few books, mostly dictionaries and encyclopedias, until Minato found a book specifically on the subject. The book was small, but it had detailed images that Minato asked if he could have copied. When Saori brought the book and the color copies back, he delved into the information, taking notes and taping the images into his notebook as he went along.

"(The Major Arcana or trumps are a suit of twenty-two cards in the tarot deck. They serve as a permanent trump suit in games played with the tarot deck, and are distinguished from the four standard suits collectively known as the Minor Arcana,)" he wrote, copying the book nearly word-for-word. "(Each Major Arcanum depicts a scene, mostly featuring a person or several people, with many symbolic elements. In many decks, each has a number (usually in Roman numerals) and a name, though not all decks have both, and some have only a picture. The earliest decks bore unnamed and unnumbered pictures on the Majors (probably because a great many of the people using them at the time were illiterate), and the order of cards was not standardized. Nevertheless, one of the most common sets of names and numbers is as follows: The Fool (0 or XXII), The Magician (I), The Priestess (II), The Empress (III), The Emperor (IV), The Hierophant (V), The Lovers (VI), The Chariot (VII), Justice (VIII), The Hermit (IX), Fortune (X), Strength (XI), The Hanged Man (XII), Death (XIII), Temperance (XIV), The Devil (XV), The Tower (XVI), The Star (XVII), The Moon (XVIII), The Sun (XIX), Judgement (XX), and The World (XXI). The images on the Major Arcana are often very heavy with symbolism, with far more to the illustration than a mere depiction of the card title. The Major Arcana are usually regarded as relating to matters of higher purpose or deep significance, as opposed to the Minor Arcana which relate to the everyday world and matters of immediate significance.)"

Something shattered in his mind, making him look up, but when nothing happened, he shrugged it off and went back to work. Just as he was finishing, Saori came over to tell him the library was closing. He offered to help her clean up, but she shook her head.

"I don't mind at all," she said, looking around. "You probably have other things to do anyway."

"The school will be closing soon, so you don't have much time left to clean up this." He motioned to the large number of books sitting on the tables and on chairs. "Besides, you were a great help to me. I'd like to return the favor."

Finally accepting his help, they cleaned up the library together. Saori invited him to come back again for a visit, telling him that she enjoyed his company and thirst for knowledge, an offer he accepted. By the time Minato got back to the dorm, he felt exhausted. He found Minako leaning up against the door to his room, staring at the floor.

She looked up at his arrival. "We need to talk."

"Alright." He unlocked his door and they went inside, dropping his bag next to his desk. "What about?"

She shuffled her feet. "I, uh… I made another Social Link today."

"Explains what I felt earlier…"

"You saw it too?"

"No, I didn't see anything. I felt it, though;" he grunted, sitting down at the desk and pulling his notebook out, "the shattering sensation in my head when the card appears. So, which Social Link was it? I can compare it with my research."

"It was… The Magician."

He looked up at her. "Any reason why you seem so hesitant to tell me?"

She twirled around, her uniform skirt twirling with her, and sat down on the bed. "The Social Link is with Junpei. We were out eating ramen and then we got talking… and it just happened. 'Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to create a Persona of the Magician Arcana', you know?"

"Let me check my notes." He flipped to the page with the picture of the Magician card.

Minako jumped to her feet. "That's it! That's the card I saw! It looked exactly like that…"

He looked the image over once before writing 'Junpei Iori' underneath it. "We can keep track of them like this. I've taken notes on all of them and what each one means, so we'll know what to expect from each one. I think each Social Link is based on the Arcana it represents, though I don't know if that means we'll have twenty-two Social Links in all-"

"T-twenty-two! Where'd you get that from?"

"The Arcana everyone keeps mentioning are the twenty-two Major Arcana from a deck of Tarot cards. The Major Arcana are, in essence, the face cards in the deck, with each one having a different meaning and different picture based around their meaning. If someone is associated with that Arcana, then it's logical to assume that they have the qualities of that Arcana."

"That makes sense. What are The Magician's qualities?"

"The Magician refers to scholarly knowledge-"

"We're talking about Junpei, remember?"

"-as well as the potential for adventure. In terms of the knowledge aspect, the book seems to hold The Magician in the middle; The Magician contains more knowledge than The Fool, but the next Arcana, The Priestess, has the interpretation that The Magician is viewing that knowledge incorrectly. There's a lot of potential with The Magician, but there's also a good chance of using that potential the wrong way."

Minako sighed. "I'm still not seeing how this relates to Junpei."

"What if I told you that The Magician is often related to Hermes, which just happens to be Junpei's Persona?"

"Do tell."

"The book explained the relationship like this: Hermes was a god of messengers and patron of travelers, making him a guide. In this case, Hermes - as The Magician - is the guide to The Fool, who is just beginning his journey."

"And what about The Fool? We've seen the card and you keep mentioning it."

"All of the Arcana are related to one another, so it's hard to talk about one without referencing another." Minato flipped back a page. The Fool card was taped to one side, 'SEES' written under it, the names of the members listed under that. "The Fool represents a beginner, someone without experience. The whole 'lacking experience' concept ties in with the numbering of the card, the 0, as well as the fact that he's standing on a cliff. It points to how close to falling into utter hopelessness he is."

Minako looked at it over his shoulder. "It's kinda sad, if you think about it. He's happily walking towards his demise and seems completely oblivious to it."

"Minako… The Fool represents us."

"Huh? You mean… the two of us?"

"Igor said that our power was like the number zero. That's what The Fool represents. It's empty, shapeless, weak, but there's so much room for improvement. We're standing at the edge, waiting for something to happen to stop us from stepping off, and now things have started to happen. We've been waiting for our entire lives."

"I know what you're saying. I've felt it too, but… Are you sure?"

He turned his chair, resting one arm on the desk. "Do you know the story of Orpheus?"

"Not at all. You're the mythology buff, not me."

"Orpheus was given a lyre by Apollo, and he played such beautiful music that even rocks and trees would listen. When his wife, Eurydice, died, he was filled with such grief that he went into the Underworld to try to get her back. Hades was so moved by Orpheus' sad music that he allowed Orpheus to return with his wife on one condition: that until they reached the surface, he could not look at Eurydice. As they climbed back to the surface, Orpheus became so happy that he looked back at the first glimpse of light. What he saw was Eurydice being pulled back into the Underworld, since he'd broken his end of the bargain. He was an incredible fool to forget."

"What happened to him?"

"He lived alone without Eurydice for a while until he started speaking out all the gods except Apollo, to whom he owned his art. Some people were so offended by his acts that they killed him, cut up his body, and tossed it a river. The Muses placed his lyre among the stars. The only piece of his body that was recovered was his head."

Minako shuddered. "Creepy."

"But fitting. I actually looked at Orpheus while we were battling. His entire body is made of metal and machinery except his head. Maybe the Personas aren't representations of the myths, but the myths themselves…"

"That's a crazy thought. Who'd believe that Personas are mythological figures?"

"You said so yourself: it's a thought. I never said there was any fact to that." He closed his notebook. "I'm too tired to debate something like that anyway. I'm getting ready for bed."

"Fine, fine. I'll let you get changed." Minako stopped at the doorway. "One more thing."

He pulled off his jacket. "Hmm?"

"You explained Orpheus and Hermes, but what about Yukari's Persona?"

"Io, you mean? She was cast out by her father for refusing Zeus' advances. When Zeus did finally get to her, he turned her into a while cow to protect her from Hera's wrath. He then turned her back into a human once she'd fled to Egypt."

"But what does that have to do with Yukari?"

He glanced over his shoulder. "Beats me," he sighed, closing the door.


End file.
